Ryan Day’s team did well—too well that it even interrupted important things. With their victory over No. 9 Tennessee, No. 8 Ohio State now moves on to the quarterfinals to face No. 1 Oregon. What rotten luck for the Buckeyes! But OSU was able to have the undivided attention of legendary NBA star LeBron James for over five seconds. What stands out is that it happened during an inopportune time! 

The Ohio State-Tennessee in the first round of the CFP prompted LeBron James to leave his fellow teammate Dalton Knecht hanging. The small forward signed a 4-year contract of $18,483,220 to play alongside the basketball prodigy for the Los Angeles Lakers. In an Instagram reel by CBS Sports on December 22, James interrupted his interview with Knecht and was like, “sorry Dalton, sorry Dalton.” The moment was too big as he threw all his focus on a big play happening on his screen in front of him. RB TreVeyon Henderson received a big round of applause from the 4X NBA champ with his 29-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. 

LeBron James’ excitement is understandable. Ohio State already had the momentum with a three-touchdown lead in the first quarter. Henderson made the third TD as he scampered past Tennessee’s defense like a bolt to give the Buckeyes a 21-0 lead over the Vols. And that’s not the only contribution by the senior RB inside Ohio Stadium on Saturday. 

TreVeyon Henderson scored another TD with his 24-yard scamper in the fourth quarter to lead 42-10. The Vols then scored their second 2-yard TD run by Nico Iamaleava to end the final score at 42-17. Ohio State now earns their ticket to the quarterfinals, where they’ll face their nemesis Oregon, the only other team aside from Michigan that gave them a taste of defeat. Can they salvage their status with a comeback? 

Can Ohio State save Ryan Day’s job?

TreVeyon Henderson has a green health status for the upcoming Rose Bowl game on January 1, which is also the playoff quarterfinals. That’s positive news for Ryan Day, who’s on the verge of losing his job at Ohio State. The Michigan loss ignited fans’ fury again, as this is the fourth time the Buckeyes have lost in a row to their arch rival Wolverines. So the pressure of a national championship weighs heavy on Ryan Day. 

If anything slips, fans aren’t going to go easy on the sixth-year HC. Even the support backing him is also facing backlash along with him. But Dan Lanning and Oregon are a formidable opponent. It’s just OSU’s luck that they had to have one of the toughest paths to the natty. They’re not going to be favored over the undefeated Ducks. Even if they do win, their semifinal opponent is likely going to be Texas. Another formidable opponent!

All the seasons under Ryan Day always had promising beginnings. But all of them ended up in unceremonious full stops just when the national championship was in sight. Hate to admit, but it’s almost turning out to be a ghost of past hauntings.